Chapter 8 I Anarchists on the hills of Montmartre (1) Converts

People talk about Max Jacobs.I saw a worm glowing at the base of the wall, Max Jacob eavesdropping. Raymond Queneau (1903-1976), French writer, surrealist. A man came out of Vollard's house and climbed slowly along the avenues of Montmartre under the blue light of the gas lamp.He was dressed very strangely: a Breton shepherd's cloak, gray tweed, lined with scarlet flannel.He has a big bald head, narrow shoulders, a humorous mouth, a pair of eyes that turn sometimes and sometimes stay still, and wear a monocle.From his seemingly dignified manner and elegant demeanor, he always reveals that he is in a poor situation like the painting apprentices on Montmartre.

When people asked about his childhood, he said that when he was three years old, he was kidnapped by a group of bohemians, boned and cut into pieces.A few years later, someone picked him up on the flagstone square of the Teachers College. Please don't take his word for it, this man is actually a poet. He also has other artistic means that can help him succeed: constantly painting.In Quimper, the capital of the Finistère department in the Brittany region of France and the hometown of Max Jacobs.In middle school, his drawing teacher thought he was a bad painter.It only shows that this teacher lacks insight.

His parents wanted their son to attend a teacher's college, but he himself chose to join the colonial army.Due to his lack of physical strength and lung capacity, he was excluded from the list of recruits.One day, with neither luggage nor clothes, he came to Paris alone with only a few francs left in the corner of his wallet.He soon discovered that he could not support himself with paintbrushes and brushes.So he took turns teaching piano, governess, employee, art critic, cleaner, carpenter, litigator, salesman, and childcare worker. He was very poor, and his better attire was due to the occasional generosity of his father, who worked as a tailor in Quimper.He was walking towards the Crescent Street, where he needed to meet an artist.Not long ago, he saw 64 of his oil paintings on display at the home of Ambroise Vollard, who was none other than Pablo Picasso.

Who is the visitor?He is Picasso's unswerving friend until death - Max Jacob (1876-1944), a French writer whose works are full of pungentness and fantasy. . Picasso's paintings fascinated Jacob.In his own words: the painter's paintings are very unique, the light and dark colors are very harmonious, completely different from the impressionist paintings.Although there were those who became enamored of the paintings of Renoir and Degas, the general public disliked the Impressionists.The works of those artists whom Max Jacob called "the great decorative painters" can hardly be compared with the paintings of Picasso.Those people are all considered to be Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863), a French painter who insisted on romanticism and competed with the official French academic classicism.His innovative achievements in art have strengthened the status and influence of the romantic school of painting.His youth works reflect his sympathy for oppressed peoples.The representative work "July 27, 1830", combining symbolic and realistic techniques, eulogized the struggle of the French bourgeois republicans against the restoration of royal power.His painting style is grand in composition, gorgeous in color, emphasizing contrast, and emphasizing the depiction of the emotion and momentum of the characters.The main representative works include: "The Women of Algiers", "The Crusade Enters Constantinople", "Dante and Virgil in Hell" and so on.And Rubens Pierre Paul Rubens (1577-1640), a painter in the Flanders region of France.He began to study painting in his youth. From 1600 to 1608, he studied the expressive techniques of Renaissance and 17th century paintings in Italy.His works of mythology, history, religion, portraits, landscapes and genre paintings are rich in composition and colorful.disciples, but at best they can only belong to the category of scribbling on the walls.Picasso's brushwork is not only different from Signac, but also different from painters who imitate symbolism, such as Pivis de Chavannes and Maurice Denis (1870-1943), French painters and art critics, A theorist of the Symbolist School, a member of the French Independent School around 1890. .His paintings do not have the bitterness, acrimony and pungentness shown in Toulouse Lautrec's works, but are a little milder.However……

He (Picasso) imitated the brushwork of all the above-mentioned ones, but in such a way that he imitated them so skillfully and so subtly that it is difficult to perceive them in so many paintings.What is left is a brand new and unique personality charm. [Excerpt from the material of the "Museum of Fine Arts Seminar" held in Nantes] Max Jacob entered the suite that Picasso shared with Maniac and finally met Picasso.Under the hot eyes of more than a dozen Spaniards who were cooking beans on an alcohol stove, he bravely expressed his appreciation and fascination to Picasso.Picasso thanked him.The two congratulated each other, congratulated each other, shook hands, and hugged each other, but neither understood what the other was saying: the Spaniard could not understand each other's French, and the French knew nothing of Spanish.What they felt was a warm current flowing through them like electricity, and a magnet-like gravitational force attracted the two of them tightly together.

Picasso showed visitors all his works: a dozen painted canvases stacked together, and then invited visitors to eat and drink with his companions.After dinner, they sang and danced together.Despite the differences in language, Beethoven's music became their common hymn.After the symphony, they played guitar together until late into the night. The next day, Max Jacob invited his new friend Picasso to his residence.As usual, Picasso brought his group of Spanish companions.Max read his poems aloud to all those present, who could understand nothing but his intonations and gestures.For them, however, that's enough.Picasso, moved to tears, called Max Jacob the greatest French poet of our time.In gratitude for his praise, "the greatest French poet of our time" presented his flatterer with the most precious possession he had: a Durer (1471-1528), German painter and sculptor.The woodcarvings he created, and a piece of Epinal in his collection Epinal, a provincial capital city in France.The pictures, and all Daumier (1808-1879) he owned at that time, French sketch painter, oil painter and sculptor.slate painting.

Picasso Lamax Jacob joined his Spanish gang.All night long they talked and laughed together, sang and danced together. Their gang has several nests for their activities.The first is a small bar called Jute on Rue La Vignan, where the anarchists of the Montmartre Bute hill meet.There are three houses in a row, but one is as dark and gloomy as the other.This bar, under the kerosene lamp, looks more like blue.The owner of the bar is a short man.He wears a chef's hat, a long beard, brown velvet trousers, a pair of boots, and a red flannel belt around his waist.His name was Frederick Girard, nicknamed Fred.His bar was open to all the poor and all those excluded from the cities.Although he could not read music, he often played the guitar and sometimes the violin; he also sang Parisian ballads, often joined by other artists who came to help.There are often many low-class people wandering outside the bar, including prostitutes, tramps, deserters, forgers of fake stamps, and other regulars on the hills of Montmartre.

The sign of Munt is the color of beer, which means that neither shochu nor aperitif is sold here, only beer.Fred poured the heavily frothy beer straight from the jug into the glass.There are no tables, they use wine barrels as tables.Sometimes he also serves ham and eggs to the guests.Hearing gunshots outside—a common prank by gangs—he reassured his immigrant friends, “Please don’t worry, if the police come, I’ll hide you.” Everyone was worried, Fearful of deportation, but with Fred, the Parisian anarchist, under their watch, they were a little more at ease. Fred was a few years older than the oldest of the Spanish gang.He understands these free people who live like middle school students. They don't have the heavy social responsibilities and family burdens on the shoulders of those who live under Montmartre.The only family here is this big family of friends.Society is their artistic creation and bohemian life.The words of Libertard and Papa Bernard expressed the way of life of painters and poets impartially and accurately: extreme behavior and manic language.Picasso and Max Jacobs are no different from anyone else, they also live a bohemian life all day long.

In 1902, Picasso returned to China for a short stay of several months.On his return to Paris, he shared a few rooms in a hotel with a sculptor friend.The poor sales of his paintings left him deeply disappointed and his life plunged into deep poverty.He was looked after like a grandfather by Max Jacob, who was just five years his senior, whom Max called "little guy".In order to earn some money to support the two of them, Max showed his incredible generosity by offering to work as a porter for the "Paris-France" department store headed by his cousin.The poet sweeps the floor every day, and pushes the cart to deliver goods to the guests door to door.He shared with Picasso equally the money he earned.However, the good times didn't last long, and after eight months, he was finally dismissed due to "lack of physical strength".

The two friends lived together in a room Max rented on the Rue Voltaire.Needless to say, life for swingers like them was hard.One evening, as the two of them looked out of the window, a common thought occurred to them.Picasso first turned around, grabbed Max's arm, and said: "You shouldn't just think about it all day long, you should do something." The two of them took turns sleeping: at night, Max slept and Picasso painted; during the day, Pablo slept and Max worked.When Maniac, Berthe Weil, and Ambroise Vollard refused to buy Picasso's blue period paintings, when they were together in the evening, the department store "Paris-France" The employee, Max Jacob, cheered up and encouraged his Spanish friends.

For a few days, Max Jacob went to some galleries under the name of Maxime Ferbre.Entering the gallery as the wealthy collector, he asked: "Do you have any Picasso paintings?" Most of the answer is no, they do not know who Picasso is.Max pretended to be stupefied with astonishment, and said: "What? You don't even know him? He is a talented painter! What a mistake for a gallery like yours not to exhibit the works of such an influential artist!" For Picasso, Max was his patron saint. He not only helped him, but also made him discover the literary world that until then was still in the fog and at a loss for him.Picasso, as always, never stops learning and absorbing new knowledge.He himself admitted that his life was a life of taking and never giving. For Max Jacobs, everything was simple: Picasso was the greatest man he had ever known in his life.Later, he once said: "He is the door for me to enter life." From the macro to the micro, he admired Picasso very much.For example, he was obsessed with Picasso's exquisite grooming. When Picasso chose a pair of shoes that matched the trousers he was wearing that day, Max watched dumbfounded... The poet praises the painter, and the painter depicts the poet. The two cooperate tacitly and complement each other.Following Baudelaire Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), a famous French poet.After Delacroix, Zola and Cézanne, the two of them staged the most beautiful ballet symphony combining literature and painting in that era.Shortly after them, other poet-painter collaborations appeared: notably Loesche and Sandras.Picasso himself later attracted Salomon, Apollinaire, Cocteau, Eluard, Breton, Levedi Reverdy (1889-1960), French poets. , René Char... However, it was with the help of Max Jacob that he discovered Ronsard, Verlaine, Pooh, Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Mallarme, which opened up the field of poetry for him. The broad field of vision, the most emotional field of his life.Max Jacob is the main pillar of the Picasso gang, and also the main pillar of the Picasso faction after the Spanish gang.He provided all possible facilities for their contacts, for their meetings with the patrons of the literary and artistic circles Paul Poiré and Jacques Ducet... Picasso was not the only one to receive such generous funding from poet Max Jacobs in so many ways.But there is undeniable evidence that without Max Jacobs, "Montmartre would lose the most shining part of its soul." [Excerpt from the article "20 years old in Montmartre" in Francis Calco's book "Memories of Another Life", published in Geneva in 1942. ] The writers and artists who first lived and worked in the Montmartre area, and then in the Montparnasse area loved Max Jacob to the point of madness.Wherever he went, he was greeted with cheers and applause, and welcome activities were organized for him.Wearing a black tuxedo, a top hat, and his famous monocle, he communicated in some humanistic circles with opposing views, and was welcomed and loved by everyone.The bourgeois appreciate his cleverness, wit, appearance similar to them, and his witty words like a little urchin; poor friends appreciate his generosity to his friends, sharing everything he has with them, and even preferring to be poor himself to help his friends. .He turned out to be a Breton who believed in Judaism.Later he remained a Breton, but converted to Catholicism.He is brilliant, "high-quality, warm-hearted, brilliant, honest and upright, loves to help others, is good at joking, and can dress up. The disadvantage is that he likes to tell stories, loves to be sarcastic and ridicule others." [Excerpt from the article "20 years old in Montmartre" in Francis Calco's book "Memories of Another Life", published in Geneva in 1942. ] But he is very sensitive, has a bad temper, is easily impulsive, can cry and laugh, but fortunately he corrects when he knows his mistakes, and has the courage to apologize to those who have been hurt.Ladies loved his poise, his impeccable manner.And him?He just loves men. Several women loved him deeply, at least one, at most three.The first was named Cecil, and she was later changed to Mademoiselle Leoni, Martorell's mistress in the novel "Saint Martorell."No one around Max Jacob knew her.If Max Jacobs' letter to Apollinaire in 1904 is to be believed, he was planning to be engaged to her at the time: I forgot to tell you yesterday that I have something to do tonight.I promised to attend an engagement dinner...yep!It's my own engagement dinner: in two or three months, I'm getting married.This letter is my invitation to you. [Excerpt from Max Jacob's Correspondence, Paris, 1953] Miss Cecil was 18 years old at the time, and she worked in the "Paris-France" department store.The idyllic and tender love between the two of them was short-lived.According to Max Jacob, he ended their romance because he was too poor to help her.He cried when he sent her away. One day after the end of the First World War, Max Jacob was drinking coffee with Juan Gris and Pierre Reverdy on the terrace outside the Café Picard when a woman passed in front of them .Max Jacob's face turned red suddenly, and he stammered out: "Cecile!..." Everyone present raised their heads at the same time, and their eyes focused on a fat woman who was neither beautiful nor charming.They saw her disappear in a whirlwind around the corner of the street before them. Max Jacobs was already one of the great poets of his time before he actually became someone else's lover.In Alexandrian verse, free verse, and prose, the writing is equally nimble, and equally brilliant and concise.However, he is very modest and never promotes himself. He always uses the excuse that he is a junior to push others to the foreground and obliterate his own talents.It was in the early 20th century and later years that he truly achieved the fame that everyone knows.However, for a poet, fame does not mean that he will become rich with it. When Apollinaire published his poem "Alcohol", Georges Duamel, a critic of the French literary magazine "French Courier", wrote in his review article: Some of the poems in "Alcohol" are plagiarized. Verlaine, Rimbaud and Jean Moreas (1856-1910), French poet, originally from Greece.works, while the rest were inspired by Max Jacobs.But the latter refuted Duamel, saying that his argument was wrong: he claimed that he had not written any poems before he met Apollinaire.This is a lie.Later Valéry Larbeau once said that Max Jacob's greatest virtue was his willingness to belittle himself. In the 1930s, forced by the situation of being penniless and having nothing, Max Jacob actually agreed to act on stage.Every evening, on stage, to a sold-out theater, he would begin his performance with the following lines: "Ladies and gentlemen, you don't know me, no one knows me. Yet my name is included in the Larousse, encyclopedic dictionary of the French language. Dictionary." He is a poet, not a novelist.Is there a difference?One day, when he explained the difference between the two to Pierre Bearn, he said: "A novelist writes 'a green dress', while a poet writes 'a grass-colored dress'." Charles Trenet, a young man in a small room in Paris, who was also present, confirmed this to be true. Max Jacob once took a class at one of the businesses he worked for.One day, the leader of the company talked to him and said: The son of their largest supplier passed away and hoped that he would write a eulogy for the funeral.Max Jacobs took this assignment from his boss very seriously.He investigated the situation of the supplier, used facts as arguments in his eulogy, and fully praised the deceased's achievements in economy, finance, ideology and civic duties.However, what is ironic is that he mistaken the object of praise: the deceased was a child, and he had not had time to make the above-mentioned achievements. His first novel, "King Cabul and the Gavin's Kitchen Apprentice" was written for the award-winning pupils.The school is a non-denominational school.After his novel was finished, the school had to ask him to change the word "church" to "city hall" and "priest" to "elementary school teacher" in order to be realistic.Max Jacobs was a true atheist, but he deserves the Medal of Honor Ethics Educator. He was often hard-pressed to come up with money, but many of his books were self-published and self-published.Among them, "San Martorell" (1911) (Picasso personally used the etching copperplate method to make illustrations for the book) and "Siege of Jerusalem" (1914) were not published until Carnville paid a deposit; Flowers and Plants and Dice Cups are also self-published.When he was an employee of the "Paris-France" department store, Picasso once advised him: "You should live like a poet, not like a coolie." Picasso's suggestion meant that he should abandon not only the delivery truck in his hand, but also a painting technique.Because Max Jacob painted figurative art watercolors, using paint, rice flour, cigarette soot, black ash from the flue, coffee and dust.In order to fit his new passions—writing and card fortune-telling—into his daily life, he gave up many other occupations he had pursued until then, but he never gave up painting. Max Jacob can read palms, tell fortunes from coffee grounds, and has a little knowledge of magic and astrology.Some of the mascots, amulets, paintings, precious stones, copper or iron plates that he presented to his friends were engraved with many hieroglyphs and various indecipherable symbols that were completely incomprehensible to others.Although the astrologer Jacob advised them to carry these amulets with them at all times, otherwise bad luck would come, but most people still kept these heavy items in the bottom of the box.Thus, the enemies of Max Jacob always carried a heavy block of cast iron or a thick block of granite in their handbags or pockets... After he published the astrology of Joseph Cayo in his book "Hardliners", he was regarded as an astrologer.Since then, people have come to him to predict the future for them.Little people in the Montmartre district often ask him for fortune-telling, and then pay him a bowl of soup or a pair of socks; after consulting Max Jacobs, the dressmaker Puvale gives him a set of clothes as a reward; So captivated by this funny and eccentric little man, their wives and ladies invited Max to a dinner at Auteuil and Passy, ​​where his presence was a great honor. Max's humorous, witty, witty personality is well known and legendary.In addition to his talent for writing and drawing, he was also good at imitating others.He imitated his parents (his mother sang operettas), politicians, cabaret stars in small bars: he rolled up his trouser legs and showed his hair, he played high kicks, and imitated the screams of dancing girls who sang and screamed shouting; or wearing a ragged red cloth as a scarf, playing the role of an insulted old woman... He whispered to his friend: "It is my hobby and pursuit to make others happy." One night there was a brawl at the Tavern "The Rabbit", which was the order of the day among the poorer classes of Paris at that time.A guest was injured when he was hit in the stomach with a bottle opener.Such damage is not much.The misdemeanor court asked Max Jacob to testify as a witness.Here he is, neatly dressed in a suit and leather shoes.The court asked him to give testimony.His voice was so low and he pronounced the "s" into a "z" on purpose that nothing could be heard except the word "driver," which he said aloud ten times.The president of the court lost his temper and drove him back to the gallery.He started to pretend to be crying and muttering that if he had known that others bullied him like this, he would not have come... At every evening, his humor and imitation performances are the most popular.People in the upper class also invited him as a guest.The next day, these people climbed slowly along the foothills of Montmartre, in order to find the young man to tell himself a fortune.Sometimes, beautiful bourgeois gentlemen and wives do not hesitate to lower their social status and come to Montmartre to be with these poor and inferior people.In Dogeres's works, there are many scenes of those gentlemen in tuxedos visiting the painter's studio in Montmartre.Rather than saying that they came to buy paintings, it would be better to say that they came to greedily covet the models in front of the painter. They must be guessing that these models had already become the painter's mistresses.And when those ladies and wives came to Montmartre, when they saw the old kerosene lamps, the dirty Spartan kitchen and bathrooms, and the living customs that belonged to the local tribal era, they were all stunned. They were apprehensive and embarrassed when they got out of flaming cars or handsome carriages driven by coachmen in black livery.Fortunately, there are still many trees on Montmartre, which is very good... They picked up their rustling dresses and hurried to No. 7 Rue La Vignan.Because they have never known the mysterious astrologer who is proficient in magic and can predict everything in the future.Their dear and famous dressmaker Paul Poiret often advised them to open their eyes.When they opened the door and entered the room, they immediately fell from the long-term intoxicated worship to the real life of contemporary poets. What an unfortunate end! In 1907, Max Jacob lived in a deep courtyard, in a storage room at the corner of two houses, with the door facing rows of trash cans.The room was the same as he usually lived in, small and dark.The owner of the house has just cleared out the rubbish stored in this dilapidated room, and rented it out to him at 100 francs a year.The poet living in this room is an out-and-out local. The pen he uses for writing is only worth two sous.In order to pay back the money as soon as possible, he had to tighten his belt for a few days.Most of his meager income was spent on the kerosene lamps that lit the room from morning to night.When people expressed sympathy for him, he shouted cheerfully: "The current policy is that kerosene is more expensive than rice!" Before this, he had experienced a more difficult situation: two or three winters, no room at all fire, and he didn't even have a coat, and he only had a catty of bread a day. He does housework very carefully.There is only a trampoline supported by four brick stacks, a table, a chair, and a wooden box in the room, all of which are his manuscripts.It was only after his insistence that the landlord agreed to open a skylight on the aluminum roof.On the largest stucco wall are painted the signs of the zodiac, a portrait of Jesus, a self-portrait of Max (who was then bearded), and various inscriptions, one of which stands out: Never go to Montmartre! Every Monday is Max's reception day.He is very hospitable and always warm to his customers.When every customer came, he always greeted them at the door and asked them to sit in a corner of the room, because there were already several residents of the district waiting there.When a conversation was interrupted, he made sure to explain it to the person interrupted. Originally, there was a beautiful four-panel screen that divided the room into two parts.One day, he gave the screen to an amateur art lover in Germany.It happened like this: one day the German bought some canvases for the painters of the Laundry Boat, and as a token of gratitude Max sent some of his own manuscripts (perhaps even the first draft of San Martorell) to he.When the German promised to publish these manuscripts with copperplate sculptures, Max Jacob looked at him with tears in his eyes.When the other party handed him a few banknotes, he felt as happy as entering heaven.Then, the German offered to give him the screen as a reward, and Max readily agreed.However, what a pity!The four screens were painted by Picasso especially for him.When people later learned that the young German art amateur was named Daniel-Henri Carnville, it suddenly became clear that it was the screen that the German was really interested in and dreamed of. The wives who came all the way to see Max Jacobs were immediately stunned by the bad smell in his house: the smell of cigarettes, kerosene, burning incense and ether mixed together, and the smell was choking and unpleasant.The smell of cigarettes, because Max smokes; the smell of kerosene, because even in the daytime the room must be lit with kerosene lamps; the smell of ether, because Max can't live without ether for a moment, so his room "smells worse than the smell of a pharmacy."Excerpt from The Cradle of the Young Painter by André Varno, published in 1925. Pierre Brasseur Pierre Brasseur (1905-1972), theater and film actor.From 1925 until his death, he worked mainly as a film actor.Recounts a conversation between Max Jacob and him, which clearly and unmistakably reflects this school of poets with only two to five members-the Druidisme, the Druidisme, which was the Breton of the Gallic era. Head of the Celtic folk church in the area.Their task is to lead religious activities, educate the younger generation and make laws.The theory of the church is based on the transformation of people's minds.The ideological contradiction of the leader: Honesty is a hut in which there is always the scent of the censer, but it is unpleasant.Yet this hut is the only way out that one can find; the world of immorality is much wider, it smells of sweetness and alcohol, and has many ways out, yet one can find none; beware, Because this world is very charming, it is difficult to get out after entering. [Excerpt from My Disorganized Life by Pierre Brassel, published in 1986] Max Jacob once wanted to be a saint, too.He believed that this happened at 4 o'clock in the afternoon on September 22, 1909.That day, when he returned home at the usual hour, he found Jesus appearing on the wall of the room and giving him some oracle.Jesus' inspiration fundamentally changed his life.Max Jacobs narrates the matter as follows: ... After taking off my coat, I was about to put on my slippers like a rich bourgeois when I let out a cry of surprise.I saw a creature on the wall.I quickly knelt down on my knees, tears streaming down my face.A real person fell on me and I was motionless, not understanding what was happening.I feel like it reveals everything to me.When my eyes fell on this indelible creature, I immediately felt that all the muscles in my body were lifted off, and I only heard two words: death and life. [Excerpt from Max Jacob's "My Conversion", published in Paris in 1953] The following narrative is more enthusiastic: I came back from the National Library, put down my backpack and looked around for my slippers.When I looked up, I saw a person on the wall!There is a person!A man fell on the carpet: a burst of lightning and thunder stripped me naked, and my muscles fell to the ground!what!A second that will never be forgotten!what!real!what!Please forgive me!Behind it is a landscape painting, and it is a landscape painting I painted before.And he!Both docile and personable!Look at his shoulders, look at his manner, how handsome he is!He is wearing a yellow silk robe with blue ornaments.He turned around, and I clearly saw that serene and radiant face... [Excerpt from the article "For the 50th Anniversary of the Death of Max Jacob at Drancy"] There were other revelations during Max Jacob's life, most of them quite comical. On December 17, 1914, when he was sitting comfortably in the movie theater, concentrating on watching the miserable life of priests and warriors in Paul Fevar's film "The Black Gang", an annoying person came Sit down beside him.Max had to tighten his overcoat a little bit, mumbled and complained, put his arms on the armrests of his seat, and refocused on his Black Gang.Later, when his eyes sneaked to the right inadvertently, he was stunned and terrified, and immediately felt dizzy and dizzy: the person who was seated just now was Jesus himself.He sat peacefully in the seat next to him, with his arms and legs crossed in front of him.He's still sucking popsicles!Max Jacob immediately fell to his knees, the film on the screen disappeared, and he was left alone in the lobby of the cinema. Another time, while he was saying mass in the church, he heard a voice calling him: "Max! You're going to be ugly!" The painter turned his head and wanted to see who was talking to him?A woman covered in snow. "Ah! Madonna!" he screamed. "No, Madonna! I assure you you are exaggerating!" Max himself told Andre Billy about his encounter.People didn't pay attention to his nonsense, and it all disappeared after a few days.For Max Jacob, these adventures were not trivial, and they prompted him to accelerate the pace of his conversion to Catholicism. From the moment the visitor in the yellow silk coat with blue trimmings appeared on his wall, he had been actively making the necessary preparations.However, things were not as easy as he expected: after listening to his story, Abbesses was located on the mountainside on the southwest side of the Sacred Heart Basilica in Montmartre.Father Saint-Jean-Baptiste of the square sneered, and the priest of the Sacre Coeur was the same as the former.Why do they hold such a repulsive attitude?Max Jacobs speculated that "they might have heard something bad about me". Friends burst into laughter when they heard that he was working hard to prepare for conversion.Picasso, who Max Jacob wanted to be his godfather, suggested that he use "Fiacre" fiacre, which means carriage or coachman in French.做洗礼名。马克斯反对，一方面因为此名字十分怪异，这是园丁和车夫领班的名字，另一方面因为此词汇也暗示出了他的喜好。 在同嘲讽、讥笑及教会设置的一切障碍作了顽强的斗争之后，诗人——这位蹦蹦跳跳的悲剧性丑角终于获得了他渴望得到的：在对他信仰的真实性进行了长期考察之后，西翁的神甫——此种性质的皈依的专家——最终接纳他为新基督徒。马克斯经过长期的不懈努力终于皈依了天主教。马克斯·雅各布的那位宽宏大量的教父——毕加索也同意用“Cyprien（西普里安）”替代“Fiacre”作为马克斯的洗礼名，因为，“Cyprien”既是公元3世纪迦太基主教的名字，也是他（毕加索）本人名字的组成部分。 耶稣对他的默示以及他本人皈依天主教的事，丝毫没有改变这位新天主教徒的生活与行为方式。在信仰方面，他比老天主教徒有过之而无不及，他祈祷，甚至是不断地祈祷。他的朋友们简直搞不明白，他为何要如此经常地祈祷呢？弗拉芒克从中看出一种自我虐待狂的享乐。因为西普里安同样也有发展新教徒的热情，但方式十分特别。一天晚上，在皮卡尔街的一间陋室里，他企图规劝一名妓女改信天主教。为了能够尽快地说服她，他跪在她面前，拉着她的双手： “请您与信仰紧紧拥抱吧！” “信仰在哪里呢？” “请拥抱它……” “但是在工作中，这是完全不可能的！” 那位小姐窘迫地看着面前这位教士对她的回答惊讶不已的样子。她注意到对她讲述天使以及小基督故事的这个人戴着单片眼镜，秃头，穿着一件破旧但整齐得无可挑剔的黑色大衣。此时，马克斯·雅各布的保护人进了屋。一看便可知道来人对事情的看法与马克斯截然不同。他匆忙走向“骗子”，揪着衣领将他拉起来，紧紧抓住他的手，捏断了他的两个手指。 马克斯并未就此终止其活动，不久他重新开始，不过换了地方。不久以后，他深感蒙马特尔的教堂对他不够用了。他应该到更远的地方去，到任何神甫都不认识他的地方去。他应该忏悔，因为他除了对男人的兴趣之外，还对毒品爱不释手，搞花样翻新的恶作剧，对忏悔人窃窃私语，使忏悔人及旁边的黑衣道士都十分反感。 在回家的路途中，马克斯绕道圣拉扎尔火车站的夜间药店，买一瓶乙醚。回到家，他关起门来，一边吸乙醚，一边对上帝和圣母玛利亚说话。他称呼他们为“你”，他像对自己的好朋友那样向他们讲述他一天的生活。他的邻居和看门人经常、十分经常地说，那浓浓的白色烟雾带他（马克斯）上了小小的朵朵白云。他吸了之后，舒适、快乐得如同天仙。而这些邻居和看门人虽然都不情愿，但也被动地闻到从他房间散发出来的那种苦涩的香气。 周围的人们喜欢他，所以总把有关他的丑闻统统掩盖起来。住在阿贝斯街的所有人都认识他。他听着那里人们的喧哗声，向其他人讲述在阿贝斯街的趣闻逸事。他对杂货店老板也必恭必敬，好像他们是王公贵族一般。人们也愿意对他讲知心话，但是他的确可靠吗？郁特里罗到处宣传说，有一天，马克斯·雅各布唆使他吸毒之后，曾经试图奸污他。谁相信呢？为什么选择郁特里罗呢？蒙马特尔的人们都有着各自的看法，有人相信这一位，也有人相信另一位。马克斯·雅各布还有一点不合常规：他不爱蒙马特尔。他不相信蒙马特尔的那些“被抒情歌曲愚蠢地美化了的妓院小老板”、那些“造假的小人”以及“小流氓无赖”。他更喜欢巴黎工人与资产阶级的人情味儿。他住在蒙马特尔，是因为他的朋友们在那里。他们离开蒙马特尔时，他紧随其后，立即离开了那里。由于偶然出现了一个奇迹，他才得以获得了移居国外必不可少的手段。 什么奇迹呢？一次车祸。 1920年1月的一天，当他在马路上穿行时，被一辆汽车撞倒，身上受了几处小伤，为此他获得了一笔赔偿金。他悄悄地对弗拉芒克说：在车祸之前，他无数次地向圣母玛利亚祷告，请求她帮助他，她终于显灵了，可怜他了。圣母没有逼迫他去乞讨或饿死，而是为他制造了一起车祸。有了保险公司赔付的保险金，他的生活稍微有所改善，或者说仅仅是没有过去那么坏了。 在1944年去世的前夕，马克斯·雅各布没有把世界看得漆黑一团、一无是处。他仍然看到事物好的一面。在两个警察的押解下，他给朋友们发出几封信。在其中的一封里，他写道，两位警察对他“十分客气”。 他之所以说警察对他十分客气，是因为他们同意为他发信。但是他们还是将他押往德朗西。在被捕前数个星期，马克斯·雅各布来到他藏身的卢瓦尔河边的圣伯努瓦教堂。在该教堂的登记簿上有如下记载：马克斯·雅各布，1921年（到达日期）—1944年。他当时十分清楚地预感到自己正走在通向死亡的道路上，于是他给圣伯努瓦教堂的神甫写了如下信件：神甫先生： 请原谅一个濒临死亡的人在仁慈的警察的容许下给您写这封信。我想对您说我过一会儿就要起程去德朗西了。我还有一些要皈依天主教的人。我坚信上帝，也坚信我所有的朋友们。 我感谢上帝让我已经开始走上了殉教的道路。 ［摘自《为马克斯·雅各布在德朗西逝世50周年而作》一文］ 他被关押到德朗西集中营并非因为他信奉天主教，而是因为他曾经信奉犹太教。他多次给朋友们发出求救信，要求他们帮助他。基特利、科克托、萨尔蒙以及其他几个人，都曾经同纳粹德国的秘密警察盖世太保和德国当局交涉过。他们终于在1944年3月15日接到了释放马克斯·雅各布的命令。然而，为时已晚，马克斯·雅各布已于十天前死于急性支气管炎和肺炎。 他最后发出的几封信中的一封是写给安德烈·萨尔蒙的。信中他求萨尔蒙找到毕加索，恳求毕加索来救救他。 人们不知道毕加索到底为营救马克斯做过什么，即使他做过点什么，也无人知晓。有人谴责他对其恩人的遭遇无动于衷，另外一些人责备他做得太少，其他人原谅他，说因为他是无国籍人，他本人的安全当时也在受着威胁。 马克斯·雅各布对毕加索深深的而且经常是过度的爱，给他带来过许多的痛苦。诗人患有严重的偏执狂。安德烈·萨尔蒙曾经讲过一个故事。这个故事表现了马克斯·雅各布是个极度敏感的人。一天，萨尔蒙给马克斯·雅各布读了一首他写的诗，诗的主人公是一条蛇。马克斯回到他家时，毕加索见他在哭：原来他认为萨尔蒙是将他比做一条蛇。 仅仅画家（毕加索）未给诗人（马克斯·雅各布）回信这一点，就足以使后者痛苦万分。这在他们二人的来往信件中，表现得很清楚： 毕加索1902年写给马克斯： 我亲爱的马克斯，我已经有很长时间没有给你写信了。这可不是因为我把你忘记了，而是因为我工作太忙。 毕加索，1903年： 我亲爱的马克斯，我再次向你声明，我没有经常给你写信，请别误认为是我忘记你了……我拼命地工作，想做我想做的其他事，我不能没有面包吃。再说我也不能整天游手好闲，那样太让人难受了。 马克斯，1904年： 你未收到上一次我寄给你的明信片吗？出于担心，我给你寄这张明信片。对我来说这可不是件小事，因为我身上一共没有两个苏。为了发出这张明信片，我不得不卖掉几本书。我的房子就是你的，这一点就没必要说了…… 马克斯，1906年，写于他的故乡坎佩尔： 亲爱的朋友，我于明天（4月16日）晚上8点出发，后天早上9点咱俩就可以在咱们的家见面了。咱们能够重逢，我能够再见到你，我亲爱的朋友，是多么令人高兴的事啊！ ［摘自1994年举行的国家博物馆会议期间的文章《马克斯·雅各布与毕加索》］ 我们可以引述无数他们之间的来往书信，得出的结论是相同的：毕加索总在工作，而马克斯总在等待。 朋友们都知道他还有一个表达感情的“窍门”，从他的书信的签字中更能看出他对收信人所抱有的感情：当雅各布这个名字（Jacob）中的第一个字母拉得很长、落得很低，意味着他深深地爱着对方；当这个辅音字母缩短，说明尽管信中有大量的使人认为对他的友谊最纯洁的甜言蜜语，但他其实并不爱对方。在给毕加索信中签字的第一个字母“J”如同伸出的舌头，总是拉得很长。 1927年，在毕加索长期的沉默期间，在写给让·科克托Jean Cocteau（1889—1963），法国现代派作家、诗人、电影工作者。的信中，马克斯·雅各布发怒了，他写道： 我对他非常生气！what!No! ……不！ ……不！他害怕吗？可他害怕什么呢？害怕我要求他邀请我吃午饭？害怕我向他要三个法郎吗？ ……他是在逼迫我中断我们在拉维尼昂街建立起来的亲密无间的关系吗？早在第一次世界大战前，这种关系就已经死了，早已不存在了…… ［摘自1994年举行的国家博物馆会议期间的文章《马克斯·雅各布与毕加索》］ 再晚些时候，保尔·莱奥托Paul Beautaud（1872—1956），法国作家、回忆录作者和戏剧批评家。证实说： 只有在自己绝对身无分文、一贫如洗的时刻，马克斯才去见毕加索。在毕加索到巴黎之初，马克斯帮过他很大的忙。他当时在一家新产品商店当店员，薪水很低。这是专门为了解决毕加索吃饭、绘画所需而想出的新招。马克斯好像是一位从来不知道向他人索取的人。毕加索对他说：“喂，马克斯，怎么样？还好吗？”马克斯回答说：“哎！不行。你是知道的，一无所有，绝对的一无所有。”毕加索说：“好了，好了，马克斯，人们都知道你有钱。”在此时，马克斯·雅各布仍然与通常一样，微妙地回答道：“是的，毕加索，我知道，为了你，我必须有钱。” ［摘自保尔·莱奥托1961年发表在法国报纸《文学报》上的文章］ 马克斯·雅各布临终前对他最老的朋友、兄弟、同伴毕加索保留的最后印象，是1937年1月1日在卢瓦尔河边圣伯努瓦的一顿饭。好像这是在诗人遭到不幸之后，画家亲自到诗人藏身地惟一的一次探望。他在其儿子保罗和多拉·马尔的陪同下，乘车于天快黑时到达圣伯努瓦。他们在一起共进晚餐。在就餐期间，马克斯使用他的通灵手艺玩意念悬浮把戏，毕加索一直在嘲笑他。在整个晚餐期间，毕加索一直口气生硬、居高临下，一直以救世主的身份自居。临走时，毕加索向马克斯建议将他一起带回巴黎，诗人惊呼道：“啊！不行！” 马克斯·雅各布眼巴巴地看着他刻骨铭心地爱着的人在汽车发动机的轰响中，头也不回地向首都巴黎去了，远离他朝北方去了。 七年之后，当轮到他朝北去时（那是因他孩童时期信仰过犹太教而被押往德朗西的集中营），马克斯想起在圣伯努瓦的晚餐期间，他与毕加索的一段对话。 诗人问画家： “你为何1月1日来看我？” “因为1月1日是家庭团聚的日子。” “你搞错了，1月1日其实是万灵节（相当于中国的清明节——鬼节）。”马克斯反驳说。